If you don’t enjoy team building and developing professional relationships with many, and I mean many other people, don’t choose a supply chain leadership career. The second characteristic of an effective supply chain is technological implementations. Companies with technology implementations that were successfully completed the Supply Chain Recruiters first time help develop the basis of an effective supply chain over time. For example, a company like General Mills correctly creates and develops technology for the first time, making its company more evolving over time. In addition, the use of technology helps a company track its progress in finance and product availability.
For these reasons, companies need leaders to lead differently, but also to adjust supply chain leadership styles that can combine both modes. When acquisitions, production and logistics inform a common leader, the design of the organization helps to close gaps between functions. For a global multinational, there is also a need for a clear governance structure that defines the roles of corporate functions, companies within the company and regions.
Flexibility is one of the soft skills that sets successful supply chain leaders apart. This is not only due to the changing nature of the supply chain activities, but also because things don’t always go as planned, let alone when the truth is told. The ultimate goal of effective supply chain management is more profit through better customer satisfaction and lower business costs. Supply chain management works by coordinating acquisitions, suppliers, production facilities, retailers, distributors and customers as they go through production, sales and purchasing cycles together. The supply chain requires active management as it is influenced by many factors over which the company has no control, such as gas prices and environmental conditions. When a company is well aware of these factors, it can manage them more effectively.
Some of those functions must be metrically powered, have knowledge of technology and have a performance reward orientation. In order for leaders to be guided by statistics, they must be able to list and explain the factors that influence availability and costs. Leaders should set up a reward and incentive program to encourage their jobs to improve business progress. Leaders need to understand new technology to have an effective supply chain. Supply chain management often includes monitoring and integrating processes in which people, machines and software play a role.
For example, in an episode of Talking Logistics in March 2013, I shared eight key skills that tomorrow’s supply chain leaders should have and the first on the list were analytical skills. Based on the results of the previous survey, it is clear that having analytical skills has become even more important in the past six years. Internships help you transfer the knowledge you have learned in the classroom to the workforce. They also help you gain experience and increase your marketability as a job candidate.